Dinners This Week

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Meals for a Snowy Day (or Week)

Quick note that the giveaway for a copy of Nicole’s debut novel is open until this coming Friday. Please enter if you or a loved one need a(nother) copy of her book!

Are you having a snow day? If you are in a part of the world that is caught in a deep freeze right now, I hope you are safe and warm and that you have electricity. We are so very fortunate (so far) in that our home is warm and cozy and our larders are full of food.

I’m not actually sure what a larder is, so when I say “larders” I mean “the two refrigerator/freezers we own” and “the pantry and kitchen cupboards.”

The last time I went to the grocery store was Wednesday, but I feel like I made some pretty smart choices in terms of purchases. I am also feeling pretty smug about my slow-to-die pandemic habit of overbuying things and stuffing my freezer and pantry full of things that have lasting power.

Here’s (most, but not all of) what we have:

  • Protein: Salmon (wild and farm-raised), chicken, halibut (a Christmas gift from my brother and his wife), ground beef, steak, sausage, four shrimp, eggs, pepperoni
  • Dairy: Milk, yogurt, cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan), cream cheese, a partial container of sour cream, half and half, almond milk (not really dairy, but I’m counting it anyway), butter
  • Fresh produce: Lettuce (iceberg and a salad mix and romaine), cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, celery, onions (red and Spanish), one green pepper, green beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, one cucumber, apples, grapes, avocadoes, lemons, limes, 5/6 of a pomegranate, a mango that may be past its prime, some cilantro that may be nearing its end-of-life, scallions, one jalapeno, a quarter head of red cabbage
  • Frozen produce: Peas, corn, edamame (in the pod and half a bag of de-podded), various potato products (hash browns, diced potatoes), mango, cranberries, cherries, raspberries, ginger, garlic
  • Pantry staples: Lentils, dark red kidney beans, cannellini beans, one can of black beans, chickpeas, chicken/beef/vegetable stock, one can of coconut milk, tomato puree, noodles of various sorts (but no complete boxes of any of them), rice (basmati and brown), quinoa, farro, flour, sugar (brown, powdered, granulated), chocolate chips, oats, various nut butters, various nuts and seeds (mainly almonds), various tortillas and taco shells, various curry pastes
  • Sweets: Carla made an enormous batch of cupcakes yesterday on FaceTime with her cousin, a cookie mix, some frozen slices of apple cake from my husband’s birthday
  • Breakfast foods: A variety of cereals and frozen things (waffles, etc.), instant oatmeal, my favorite bread, and my husband’s collection of Oats Overnight
  • Condiments: A huge selection, especially of hot sauce
  • Herbs and spices: A huge selection
  • Baking necessities: Vanilla, baking powder and soda, honey, maple syrup, various oils, various vinegars, gelatin, yeast, etc.

As long as our electricity holds out, we are all set. I mean honestly, I don’t really need to go shopping again for months. Good lord, we have so much food.

Anyway, I am distracting myself from all worries by contemplating meals I can fashion out of this abundance of ingredients.

  • Potato, Sausage, and Broccoli Frittata: I like a frittata, and we truly have way too many frozen potato products on hand, plus I have some frozen sausage that I will never otherwise use, so this would be perfect. I would make a half batch, in part because we do not need 8 to 10 servings of frittata, and in part because the full recipe requires 10 eggs and I might want some of those eggs for other things.
  • Creamy Vegan Pasta: I love the idea of using some white beans for a lush, garlicky pasta sauce. We would have to mix pasta shapes though, and that makes me feel uncomfortable.
  • Chickpea Curry: I love this easy, warming recipe and it would be a great way to call both chickpeas and coconut milk into service.
  • Salmon Bowls: I love a good salmon bowl, and I like how this recipe includes edamame and avocado both of which I have in abundance. I will probably skip the mango though; I have a weird aversion to pairing mango with avocado. Although I do have that ripe mango that really needs to fulfill its purpose in life… hmmm. This recipe also calls for cucumber, but I am saving my cucumber for more of this salad.
  • Lentil Soup: A warm bowl of lentil soup would really hit the spot today. I was planning to use the carrots and celery for snacking, but I could apportion some of it for mire poix. Soup would also give me a good excuse to make some bread!
  • Beef with String Beans: I have a good number of green beans left from last week (although I used some in a red curry last night), and I have a bistro fillet of steak in my freezer. Why not put them together?
  • Chipotle Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potatoes: My husband and I made this a few months ago and it was delicious. (I can send you the recipe if you can’t get beyond the paywall.) My only concern is that I don’t think I have any chipotles on hand, which is very unlike me. It’s so unlike me that I almost don’t believe it. But I did make chipotle chicken tortilla soup last week, and I used the last cube of frozen blended chipotle I had, and I didn’t see any other cans of chipotles in adobo in the cupboard, so I may have slipped up in my chipotle stocking.
  • Vegan Sticky Sesame Chickpeas: I have never tried this before, but it sounds good. If I don’t use up the broccoli in a frittata, I could use it here. Or I could add some peas instead. (It doesn’t actually even call for veggies, but I dislike plain legumes.)
  • Black Bean Burritos: This is a standby in my household. I have a partial bag of frozen Mexican style roasted corn that I can add to black beans. My husband also likes a little rice in his burritos.
  • Chicken Avocado Salad: I don’t have bacon or tomatoes, but I think I can make a nice salad that’s loosely based on this one. I have some mozzarella pearls, and I could throw in my lone green pepper and some thawed frozen corn.
  • Chickpea Salad Sandwiches: I have been meaning to make a batch of chickpea salad, but haven’t gotten around to it. Now might be the time, especially if I end up making bread.
  • Halibut with Lemon Butter Sauce: If I don’t use up the green beans for something else, I could serve them alongside the fish, perhaps with a baked potato. Or I could whip up some warm farro with peas and red onions to go alongside.
  • Steak and Caesar Salad with Potato: We have some leftover tenderloin from Christmas and I could whip up a Caesar salad. If I don’t use the potatoes for something else, I could use them here. Or I could roast up some of our plethora of diced frozen potatoes with some lemon zest, garlic and cilantro, in an homage to a dish from my favorite Lebanese restaurant.
  • Japanese Curry: This is a regular on our meal rotation, and we happen to have some golden curry cubes on hand. This can only happen if we don’t use the potatoes and sweet potatoes for something else, though. I also throw in a bunch of frozen peas, and broccoli if I have it.
  • Lettuce and Cabbage Salad: This salad is intriguing but I haven’t tried it yet.
  • Tortilla “Burgers”: I love a hamburger, but we don’t have any buns in the house. I suppose I could make some from scratch, but I also find the idea of making a “burger” with a tortilla quite appealing.
  • Roasted Chicken Fried Rice: This looks good and pretty easy.

Wow, look at all those meals I can craft without ever setting foot in the grocery store! But what about sweets??? Surely I can make something yummy for dessert from what I have on hand. Besides cookies from the cookie mix. Or instant chocolate pudding, for which I also have a mix.

If you are having a snow day (which seems like it could very easily morph into a snow week blergh), and you are in a head space that allows you to think of frivolous things like baking and cooking, what are you planning to make for today’s meals?

If you are not having a snow day (hello, Florida and California friends!!! what is your guest room situation like these days, hmm???), what do you make when you have no desire to set foot in a grocery store?

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Recipe Report, Holiday Status, and, Sigh, Dinners This Week

Oh yes, it is Monday already THE EIGHTH OF DECEMBER, why does time behave the way it does? (I read an article recently about time that made my head spin but kind of addressed this very thing, in case you are interested.)

Let’s see. I wanted to update you on the cheesecake I made for Thanksgiving. I used the America’s Test Kitchen recipe and followed it to the letter, except I used gingersnaps for the crust instead of graham crackers. First of all, my oven WOULD NOT HOLD A TEMPERATURE. So I may have used the broil function to bring it up to the appropriate level… and then the top of the cheesecake got a little broily. Then, the recipe said to remove the cheesecake when the center registered 160 degrees F, and it NEVER DID. I finally removed it after A Very Long Time, and, predictably, the cheesecake was very dry. My parents were gracious about it, and ate every bite, but it was not my finest hour.

I did also make a back-up apple cake, and THAT was a bust because the alcohol flavor did not cook out and it tasted unpleasantly of rum. Sigh.

The pumpkin caramel sauce was, however, delicious, and really helped with the dry crumbly cheesecake.

I also made a delicata squash recipe, in an effort to recreate my delightful in-restaurant first experience with delicata squash. It was a bit fussy, the recipe (and I omitted the parsley because blech), with lots of steps and chopping and whipping… but the end result was quite yum. I think the whole thing could have used a bit more acid – even with the pomegranate seeds I added. I will definitely make this kind of squash again, though.

How are you feeling, holiday-wise? Did you know that Hanukkah starts THIS WEEK? We don’t really do a whole lot for Hanukkah, besides opening a present on the first night, eating Trader Joe’s latkes, and lighting the menorah. I picked up some gelt and a giant chocolate coin from Trader Joe’s, though, and I remembered to buy candles for the menorah when I was at Michael’s. The list price was something like $16.99, which seemed EGREGIOUS for candles, and then they were 50% off, which helped, but still felt pricy. But I don’t think we have a present for the kiddo yet? Is that possible??? Maybe I will requisition one of her Christmas gift books and use that. Goodness knows she will get PLENTY of gifts this season, even though I keep fretting that we haven’t gotten her anything FUN.

Speaking of gifts: a) I LOVED Swistle’s take on Christmas for the non-religious among us. Whenever my kid has gotten too carried away by the gift aspect of the holiday, I’ve said something like, “Gifts are not the reason for Christmas.” But then it seems like the correct follow-up is some stuff about Jesus, when really, we don’t DO a whole lot with Jesus in our family. I grew up Christian, but I’ve always been pretty agnostic, and then I married a half-Jewish guy who believes in science over religion, so I’ve always felt a little at sea with the whole “what does Christmas MEAN” thing. With Carla, I’ve usually defaulted to things like “it’s about being together with people you love” and “it’s about thinking of others instead of yourself.” But I’ve never really been able to explain why the season feels important and special despite our mostly-secular take on it. Swistle said it so well, in the words I would have wanted to use had I Swistle’s wisdom and eloquence.

Well, that list item got a little out of hand so let’s regroup. We were speaking of gifts, and we are at b): I think I am pretty well done with the gift buying portion of holiday prep. There’s one thing left to get my dad, but beyond that I think everyone is accounted for. Does my husband have enough stocking stuffers? Hmm. I need to think about that. The next BIG task is to wrap everything and mail all the things to our out of town loved ones. And, of course, some of those things have yet to arrive, which is a little panic-inducing.

In other holiday status news, our tree is up and Leo seems interested but not to the point of leaping on it. We have been taking a staggered approach to putting ornaments on the tree, and so far he has been more interested in the part where we hang ornaments on the tree than the part where the ornaments are already hanging on the branches.

“Just admiring the tree from this vantage point, not contemplating how best to climb it.”

I ordered our holiday cards last week and am anxiously awaiting their arrival. I probably need stamps and should go take care of that. My husband and I have not yet gone through the Christmas list to update addresses; we need to tackle that next.

We are also at that point in the holiday season where boxes seem to be arriving on our doorstep continuously and I feel gross and over-consumer-y and like I’m single handedly destroying the environment.

Leo, on the other hand, LOVES IT.

“When are you going to OPEN these boxes so I can BE IN THEM?”

Okay, let’s talk dinners, which I have delayed for 700+ words already.

Dinners for the Week of December 8-14

Are you incensed that we have to think about DINNER when we are in the midst of HOLIDAY CHAOS? How are you feeling about holiday prep?

I feel a little weary of it all, to be honest, and would love something else to think slash post about. If you have any ideas or questions for me, my Ask Me Anything form is ready and waiting.

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Bit of Housekeeping, Cheesecake This Week and Also Dinners I Guess

It is the final week of NaBloPoMo, and I am still writing every day over at A Novel Project. Once the calendar flips over to December, I will probably not continue to write there daily, and instead find some sort of mix between writing about book topics (there) and other nonsense (here). One of the things I’m working on for this blog is my somehow now annual Holiday Gift Guide. Pretend shopping for a hundred more things than I need is way more fun than actual shopping, and I do love a gift guide. Unfortunately, there is no way it’s going to be complete by Black Friday, so if you are in need of immediate gift ideas, you may want to check out Swistle’s recent line up. Or you can visit my list of bookish suggestions. And I have many, many posts full of potential gifts you can revisit here.

Okay, now onto food, which is, of course, always at the top of my mind. 

Foremost in my thoughts is cheesecake.

Cheesecake Chat

I have been tasked with bringing dessert to Thanksgiving with my parents, and I have decided on cheesecake. My husband would love for the cheesecake to be pumpkin in flavor, or at least in appearance. I, however, do not much care for pumpkin and would prefer my cheesecake be unadulterated; I believe that my father and child might share this preference. We have come to a truce in the form of a pumpkin caramel. This recipe looks doable, if not exactly easy (what caramel is easy, I ask you?). Or, I could go the easiest route of all and order a jar of pumpkin caramel!

I see that I have completely avoided the actual foundation for all this caramel, which is, of course, the cheesecake. 

Tierney mentioned the two-layer cheesecake with a sweetened sour cream layer on top, and I realized a) I haven’t had that kind of cheesecake in a very long time and b) I really ENJOYED that kind of cheesecake. Tierney linked to an untested recipe, and I also found a recipe in my battered copy of Joy of Cooking. But I’m unwilling to go with the untested version and the JoC version is so much smaller than anything else… Like, I found a recipe for New York Cheesecake in my America’s Test Kitchen cookbook, and it has pretty near TRIPLE the amounts of all the ingredients that the JoC recipe calls for. They both use the same 9 inch springform pan. They both supposedly produce 12 servings. And yet I don’t know how that’s possible. 

Which is a long winded way of saying, I think I will just be going with the Test Kitchen version this year. For a few minutes, I contemplated making the Test Kitchen cheesecake and topping it with the JoC sour cream layer… but I have only made cheesecake a couple of times (and one of those times was a Basque cheesecake), so I’m not sure I have the skill or experience needed to Frankenstein two recipes together. Maybe later on in my cheesecake journey. 

Dinners This Week

Ah yes, onto everybody’s favorite time: planning meals. Here in the U.S., Thursday’s meal is most likely spoken for as it’s the day we celebrate Thanksgiving. My family and I will be at my parents’ house, where they are making my mom’s traditional garlic goat cheese mashed potatoes, sausage stuffing dressing, gravy, spinach salad, and – a Thanksgiving first (for us) – beef Wellington.

But we do need to eat the rest of the week, so here’s what I have planned.

Dinners for the Week of November 24-30

  • Roasted Chicken and Potatoes with Sauteed Green Beans: Everything I need for this meal is already in my house. The green beans are frozen garlic shitake green beans from Trader Joe’s. I have some potatoes leftover from pot roast the other week, so I’ll quarter those and shove them in with the chicken. I plan to marinate the chicken in this marinade.
  • Roasted Teriyaki Salmon and Spicy Zucchini Noodles: My husband will eat a leftover chicken breast instead of salmon, my kid will eat edamame instead of zucchini, and we’ll probably have some brown rice on the side.
  • Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, and Leftovers: My husband and daughter are a teeny bit bummed that our Thanksgiving meal isn’t going to involve turkey. Mom, if you are reading this: I AM NOT BUMMED, I AM ECSTATIC. I DO NOT LIKE TURKEY. They are both going to be delighted by the beef Wellington, I have no doubt, but this weekend I am going to buy a pre-made turkey breast and whip up a miniature portion of our traditional mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows so they can get their fix. I will also make a batch of homemade cranberry sauce for my kid, who loves cranberry sauce. Oooh! I should do this in advance and bring some to put on the cheesecake, for those of us who dislike pumpkin! 

P.S. I did make the lemongrass chicken stir fry last week, with my squeeze tube of lemongrass, and it was a big ol’ meh. I didn’t think it had a whole lot of flavor, but maybe lemongrass is just milder than I expected? If you have any recipes that call for lemongrass, please share them because I have most of this enormous tube leftover.